Bitch Tapes: The '00s in tune-age

We're sharing our New Year's Bitch Tapes a day early so you can get your 2010 jam on early! For this mix I give you the 10 songs of the decade. These are not the best songs, nor the worst, nor my favorite. They are just solid, memorable, danceable songs—some you will have heard played to death, some you might wonder how you missed their release. I hope you'll listen to the mix, see if you can place yourself in time for each track's debut, and then play it at a holiday party for everyone else to enjoy! Feel free to leave nominations for other include-able tracks (along with the year released!) in the comments section.

2000
"Independent Woman" by Destiny's Child
Before Beyonce was just Beyonce, there was Destiny's Child. This seemed like a great song to start the mix, to start the '00 decade and maybe to start this next decade too?

2001
"Besame Mucho" by Diana Krall
One of the most beautiful jazz voices of recent times, Diana Krall sings the perfect Spanish language ballad for that midnight kiss, the mistletoe kiss, the post-New Year's Eve party kiss, the no-good reason kiss.

2002
"Samson" by Regina Spektor
Picking up the tempo a little bit, this track off Spektor's 2002 album "Songs" kicks it up a notch. Don't choke on our cheese and crackers when you realize how clever the lyrics are.

2003
"Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes
Duo Jack and Meg White have been rocking the scene since 1997, but this is one of my favorite songs ever. Using this song for 2003 seemed appropriate to commemorate the US-led invasion of Iraq.

2004
"Filthy and Gorgeous" by the Scissor Sisters
This hard-rocking, nearly all-gay band is a great energy spike on the decade-long mix. Play this track twice, it's worth it.

2005
"Fake Palindromes" by Andrew Bird
Andrew Bird rocks my world and I hope he will rock yours too. This is one of the greatest songs he's done, off the album "The Mysterious Production of Eggs." A classical violinist, Bird plays a number of other instruments and creates a unique sound by looping tracks on top of each other. He is also an adept whistler and often uses whistling as an extra instrument. Grab a dance partner, maybe someone who's "got red lipstick and a bright pair of shoes…."

2006
"Sera Sera" by Shakira
I've got a thing for the Spanish songs, and this one is perfect for shaking all around the room too. In a decade that was overwhelmingly characterized by corruption fear and deceit, pay tribute to hopes for a brighter tomorrow and, in the spirit of Shakira, make sure that your hips don't lie.

2007
"Empty Hearts" by Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter, a Northwest-raised rocker is another one of my favorite discoveries of the last 10 years. While it's impossible to pick a favorite song to put before the world, this one seemed perfect—both for its release date and its New Year's message: "Don't let me into this year with an empty heart, with an empty heart."

2008
"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga
Maybe you'll hate that I put this on the mix. It didn't seem like a choice at a certain point though. I have shaken my booty to this song more than anything else that came out in 2008 and that's a FACT so skip it, play it twice, but! No matter what you do, just…. Well, you know, dance!

2009
"Young Blood" by Norah Jones
Off her newest album, The Fall, Norah Jones updates her traditionally jazzy sound and it works. Hope your changes, experiments and transitions of 2010 go over as well as this album!!

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